The election campaign is being run in the Punjab alone: Altaf Hussain

Posted on: 4/26/2013

People of smaller provinces are being deprived of their democratic and constitutional rights by being denied the right to run election campaign freely
The Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Mr Altaf Hussain has said that the election campaign was being run freely in the Punjab only while people in the remaining three provinces were not being allowed to run the campaign openly. They were being deprived of their constitutional, legal and democratic rights as extremist and terrorist groups had been given a license to kill the workers of liberal and enlightened political parties.
He said this while talking to the office-bearers, workers and election candidates of the MQM Upper Punjab and Central Punjab in Lahore and Rawalpindi on Friday.
Mr Hussain said that the people of Punjab would have to take notice of the critical situation. He asked who will be responsible if the people of the smaller provinces raised the slogan of separation for getting their democratic and constitutional rights. He warned that the caretaker government, the election commission, and those who do not give justice would be directly responsible if such a situation emerged.
He urged the educated, enlightened and moderate leaders, intellectuals, journalists, lawyers and members of the public to come forward for saving Pakistan. He asked them to save the voice of moderation, democracy and enlightened opinions from suffocating. He asked them to pull the country out of the prevailing crisis otherwise the general elections would not be free, fair and transparent.
Mr Hussain said that the brave and determined workers of the MQM continued to run the election campaign, although the Taliban spokesman had clearly threatened that they would not allow the MQM, the ANP and the PPP to run their election campaign. The Taliban also warned the general public not to go in the public meetings of these parties.
The Taliban killed an election candidate of the MQM in Hyderabad and later targeted several workers in Karachi. Now they were carrying out bomb blasts at the election offices of the MQM in order to create a wave of fear in the public.
Mr Hussain questioned the claims of the caretaker government, the election commission and law-enforcing agencies for providing security to the people during elections.
He said that the election campaign was being run in the Punjab alone and there also only the jihadist elements or those who had a soft corner for the jihadists were free to run their campaign.
He asked how the election could be called free and transparent when the enlightened and moderate parties were being stopped from taking part in the election process by force and threats.
He said that the sense of deprivation of the people of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was being heightened. If the situation did not improve people living in these provinces might be forced to raise the slogan of separation against this flagrant injustice.
Mr Hussain urged the people of Punjab not to remain silent and come out for saving Pakistan. He asked them to raise their voice of justice. We should take a lesson from the cessation of East Pakistan and not let the history to repeat itself.
He called on the caretaker government to give justice to all provinces and stop the usurpation of their constitutional and democratic rights.
He said that the MQM was asking people to bear with patience so that they may not opt for the path of separation. He said that he was making appeals for peace and patience even today.
Mr Hussain asked as why the Supreme Court that takes suo moto notice of almost anything was not taking any notice of the situation and inquiring from the law-enforcing agencies as to why liberal and moderate forces were not being allowed to take part in elections freely.
Mr Hussain said that world over political parties were divided in left-wing and right wing, but everyone had the freedom to take part in elections. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had a liberal outlook, and he was not a jihadi. We need a Pakistan according to the vision of the Quaid-i-Azam and we reject those who wanted to implement Sharia by use of blatant force.
Mr Hussain asked the people of Punjab to disabuse their minds about the false perceptions about the MQM. He said that over fifteen thousand workers and sympathizers of the MQM had been killed, and someone must have killed them as they did not die themselves.
In the end, he paid tribute to the workers for spreading the message of the MQM in the Punjab despite hardships and difficult circumstances.